The Profile: What Happened When I Saw My Book at a Bookstore for the First Time
The Profile: What Happened When I Saw My Book at a Bookstore for the First TimeI thought it would be extraordinary. It was — but not in the way that I imagined.Good morning, friends! My first book, Hidden Genius, will publish in 6 days on June 20! I wanted to share with you the story behind a really cool moment that happened on Sunday. The day prior, my friend Lawrence sent me a photo of a physical copy of ‘Hidden Genius,’ with the message: “Was pleasantly surprised to see this at Barnes and Noble today. Just picked it up here instead of waiting for Amazon to send it.” And my first thought was: “I mean, I’m no Prince Harry, but did Barnes & Noble leak my book?! Why is it in bookstores before June 20?!” I emailed the publisher, and they told me that Barnes & Noble must have received their shipment early, so some store managers made the decision to place it on shelves before the release date. Although I was 100% not emotionally ready to grapple with my book being out in the wild, I was curious if my local Barnes & Noble made a similar decision. When we got there, I went to one section of the store, and my husband went to the other. I didn’t see it, and by the way, I didn’t actually think it would be in the store so I just began looking at other books. And then I got this text: I thought it was a joke because I was looking in the non-fiction part of the store, so I thought he was messing with me. In the video below, you can see me looking back at our toddler daughter to see what books she was attempting to knock down. When I turned, my eye went immediately to Hidden Genius, and that’s what led to, “Oh my God, this is crazy.” It’s fitting that one of the most monumental moments of my career is also remarkably mundane. I’m wearing a T-shirt, leggings, and sneakers, complete with a milk bottle popping out of a diaper bag and my husband’s thumb blocking part of the shot. It was a beautifully ordinary moment. And it’s funny because I don’t know what I was expecting? But I guess when I thought about seeing my book on a shelf for the first time, I thought it would be extraordinary. And it was, but not in the way I had imagined. I had butterflies in my stomach, my face felt hot, and I was completely absorbed in the moment. It was extraordinary, but also hilariously ordinary. When I saw a man leafing through the book, I felt like a ghost lurking around him. He had absolutely no idea the hours, the sweat, the tears, the worries, and the excited typing that went into this book that ended up on this exact shelf at this exact moment. To him, it was just another book on another shelf on another Sunday at Barnes & Noble. To me, it was everything. Most of you reading this know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s the feeling after you get the courage to quit your job and your head is spinning only to see people mindlessly scrolling on their phones on the subway. It’s bringing your newborn home from the hospital and seeing people strolling into the Starbucks across the street. You’re bursting on the inside, but the outside seems to have missed the message. This is what I call the “ghost” feeling — it’s like your entire world has shifted but everyone else is going about their day as if things have remained exactly the same. It’s extraordinary only for you. I signed the copies that were on the shelf, and I felt like I was in a movie. Twenty years ago, I was 11 years old strolling through Barnes & Noble with my mom on a Sunday afternoon. Today, I am here with my daughter signing copies of my own book. It was that thought that made me cry. And that’s the thing about extraordinary moments, isn’t it? It’s that they’re simply ordinary moments laced with context. We can have more of them by simply playing a mental movie of where we’ve been, what we’ve done, and how we’ve gotten here. Having realized this, I dedicated the book to my daughter, Sofia, with a message I hope serves a reminder to all of you: Never forget that you are the sole creator of the extraordinary moments in your life: |
Older messages
The Profile: The CEO trying to rebrand CNN & the happiness fixer for the ultra-rich
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
This edition of The Profile features Chris Licht, Charlie Javice, AG Sulzberger, and more.
The Profile: EXCLUSIVE 'Hidden Genius' excerpt + audiobook promo codes inside
Monday, June 12, 2023
Two weeks until my debut book, HIDDEN GENIUS, is on shelves!
The Profile: The exec solving Facebook’s growth crisis & the man on a quest to make pickleball quiet
Monday, June 12, 2023
This week's edition of The Profile features Ryan Gosling, Drew Barrymore, Nicola Mendelsohn, and more.
The Profile: Formula 1’s billionaire boss & the college offering ‘forbidden courses’
Sunday, June 4, 2023
This week's edition of The Profile features Toto Wolff, Florence Pugh, and more.
The Profile Dossier: R.L. Stine, the ‘Goosebumps’ author who’s been scaring kids for 30 years
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Humor comes in many different flavors, but fear is universal.
You Might Also Like
2 Simple Edges Anyone Can Get in Sales
Saturday, November 23, 2024
And Pull Ahead of the Pack To view this email as a web page, click here saastr daily newsletter 2 Simple Edges Anyone Can Get in Sales. And Pull Ahead of the Pack. By Jason Lemkin Friday, November 22,
Your cheat sheet to SEO copywriting
Saturday, November 23, 2024
In the early days of SEO, keyword stuffing was an effective way to get your content to rank. Today, it's a surefire way to get on the bad side of Google. Modern SEO copywriting is about creating
💸 Two 5 figure exits in 1 year...
Saturday, November 23, 2024
+ 19 places to list your deal!
VC courts private wealth
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Also: Ranking the top VC investors of Q3; What 2025 holds for PE-backed IPO candidates; Our three most popular research notes of the past month... Read online | Don't want to receive these emails?
'Don’t Sacrifice the Things that Really Matter Just to Get that Trophy'
Saturday, November 23, 2024
We spoke with Hall of Famer and Indiana Fever Senior Advisor Lin Dunn about breaking barriers, embracing failure, redefining success, and her six pillars for sustaining excellence.
How to get your first customers
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Every year we bring the highest quality software to RocketHub for an insane BFCM event. This year is no different! BFCM starts now so check the page below for one new lifetime deeaaal drop each day.
Now 70% off Retail with Genius.AI - Discover how Peter made 104$ in hours
Saturday, November 23, 2024
70% off Black Friday Special View in browser ClickBank Hey affiliate marketing superstar, Get ready to be inspired because you're about to learn how I (yes, me!) made my first ClickBank sales in
How to Show a Seductress
Friday, November 22, 2024
Why does this pattern show up in Greek Mythology, the Bible, and all kinds of literature?
Off the Grid gives away $600k in one-day tournament; AI agents on the loose
Friday, November 22, 2024
PlayToEarn Newsletter #254 - Your weekly web3 gaming news
Google Gives Back to Small Publishers? + A HUGE Discount is Here...
Friday, November 22, 2024
This week, there has been a major shakeup in Google rankings and the early signs are good for small publishers. This is the main headline story of today's episode of This Week in Niche Pursuits